Destiny of the Geass
by Dracyllion
Summary: After Suzaku finds out about Zero's true identity, the two friends go face to face with each other for one last time. And this time, only one will walk away.
1. Chapter 1

Code Geass FanFic

Takes place right after the end of the first season. In other words, after **that** cliffhanger.  
So the starting situation contains spoilers. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. (Not the series, either.)

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**_Destiny of the Geass_**  
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"Suzaku!!!!"  
"Lelouch!!!"

_Click_

The gunshot echoed in the cavern and for a moment it seemed like time itself had stopped.  
Then, the sound of a gun dropping to the floor followed by a louder thump as the owner of the gun also fell on the cold ground.

Karen's eyes widened, and a reflexive cry escaped her lips in the form of, "Zero!!"  
while the gun she had been holding onto slipped out of her shaking hands.

The cry also brought Suzaku's mind back to the gruesome view in front of him.  
There, only a few meters away, lay his best friend, bleeding on the ground. All the rage and hatred  
he had been feeling just a few moments ago was all but gone, leaving him unable to deal with the sight before his eyes.

"L-Lelouch?" The voice was quiet, almost a whisper, and filled with mixed emotions ranging from guilt and regret to anger,  
this time directed at himself.

The only answer was a pained grunt, as Lelouch attempted to rise up only to slump back down,  
forced by the stabbing pain in his chest. Not stopping to think about it, Suzaku dashed the few meters between them and kneeled beside his friend, carefully turning him over to face upwards.

For a short while, they just stayed that way, Lelouch's head resting against Suzaku's leg.  
It was the first time Lelouch had felt so peaceful since meeting C.C. and he wanted to enjoy it for as long as he could.  
Suzaku, on the other hand, was shaking considerably, tears streaming down his cheeks accompanied by occasional sniffs.

Seeing Zero, as she had learned to adress him, resting against Suzaku made Karen feel somehow...irritated.  
She didn't know why, especially since she should've been mad at Lelouch for using her and the other members of the Resistance,  
but instead, she felt...jealous. And before she knew it, she had already sneaked up on the two, ready to knock down Suzaku.

But just as Karen was about to bring her fists down on the unsuspecting ex-Imperial Knight, Lelouch's eyes slowly opened.

"Su...zaku?" The voice was weak, almost humble, and not at all like the Lelouch the other two had learned to know.  
Suzaku quickly wiped off his tears, turning his attention on the boy resting against him.

"Lelouch...What...what have I done? I-I didn't...I didn't mean it to end like this! After Euphie's death I just...I just..."  
His voice trailed off, and the tears continued their advance despite his best efforts.

"It's...enough, already. I-" Lelouch was interrupted by a sudden, violent coughing fit.

After the fit had passed, Lelouch continued, ignoring the blood he had just coughed on his hands,  
"I guess...I always knew this would be one game I would never live to see through. H-ha, ha ha..."  
His laughter soon ended in another coughing fit, further bloodening his hands and clothes.

Suzaku was clearly taken aback by Lelouch's confession, and with strong disbelief in his voice, he asked,  
"Then why?! Why did you do it? For Nunnally? Do you...Do you really believe she would enjoy a world created through sacrifice?!" Suzaku's willfulness was gradually beginning to return, along with his detestation for Zero's methods.

"Heh...No, she wouldn't have. But it would still have been better than living in this rotten world where the weak become sacrifices. She...deserves better. Better than we do, at least. Your method...would've been too slow, and that is why I chose my own path..."  
A small, pained smile crossed the pale lips.

"So it really was for her..." Suzaku's newly gained strength was wavering, but it did not disappear.  
Lelouch slowly turned his head to the side, looking towards the gate which led to where Nunnally was being held hostage.

"Yes... For Nunnally's sake, I swore I'd create a new, better world, even if I had to destroy the current one in order to do that."  
A small pause, during which Lelouch's eyes closed once more. "But...That wasn't all."

Suzaku's eyebrow rose at this. "Then?" he inquired, feeling a need to know why Lelouch had chosen the path he did. Karen, who had felt like an outsider for a while now, was also eager to hear the whole truth.

"The other reason...was to avenge the death of my mother." Karen felt a slight stab of sympathy at hearing this from the person he had been serving under.

Suzaku, who might have condemned that as something horrible just a few days earlier, found it suprisingly easy to relate to his friend's reasoning. After all, he had himself come here for revenge.

"In the end...I never even found out who it was that ordered the assassination. Ironic, no?"  
As if to emphasize his words, Lelouch burst into hysterical laughter, which was almost immediately stopped by a coughing fit, though.

After the coughing had ended, Lelouch seemed to rememeber something and opened his mouth as if to say something,  
but no words came out. Instead, his mouth only moved, mouthing a single word – a name? Then, turning his face downwards,  
a single tear trickled down his cheek and, for reasons known only to him, his face was distorted by deep sadness.

Seeing Lelouch so powerless, so...vulnerable, filled Karen with renewed hatred for the Britannia.  
She wanted to do something for him, anything. Even if he had used her, she still wanted to believe in him.  
It was a foolish sentiment, but she couldn't help feeling that way.

"Ze- I-I mean Lelouch?" Even if she held no grudge for him, there was still something she had to know.  
Purple eyes turned to her but no words were spoken.

Karen, feeling suprisingly uneasy, asked the question that had been bothering her for a while,  
"Um, Lelouch? Between...well, Lelouch and Zero, which one is the real you?"

"The real...me?" There was a brief silence as Lelouch thought about the question before giving a cryptic answer,  
"You could say...that I am both. But at the same time...neither."

"Eh-?" The answer was nowhere near what Karen had expected, and even Suzaku seemed suprised.  
But there was no further explanation as Lelouch's eyes slowly closed, strength draining from his body, until he just lay there, as if sleeping.

"L-Lelouch!?" Karen kneeled on Lelouch's other side, opposite of Suzaku.

It seemed like he hadn't heard her. Or perhaps he had already died? There was no movement, no voice, nothing.  
His eyes were closed, and all the colour had drained from his pale face.

"D-don't die! You can't...you can't leave me!" Karen's voice was rising in volume, and she was clinging onto Lelouch's hand desperately while wetness was starting to form around her eyes. Suzaku was gazing at the ground, gritting his teeth while the memories of eight years ago were being reminded of by the current situation.

A single waterdrop dropped from the cavern's ceiling, making a plopping sound as it hit a small puddle of water.

"No, no, no, no, NO!!!!" Karen cried out, shaking her head in disbelief, tears flooding out like raging streams.  
Suzaku closed his eyes, not wanting to see Karen, who was flailing desperately around screaming Lelouch's name.

But, as if summoned back by the voice calling his name, Lelouch's eyes slowly opened once more, and he hoarsely called out,  
"Ka...ren?"

Both Suzaku and Karen winced and turned towards the voice, shocked.

Suzaku was the first to get the words out, "L-Lelouch?"

A broad smile spread across Lelouch's lips for a moment, before he winced in pain.  
"I...Cannot die...not yet. I still have...something left to do."

"T-that's right! Zero...Zero wouldn't die from something like this!" Karen exlaimed, her voice relieved and a smile forming on her face.

"Some...thing?" Suzaku asked, his face showing both relief and anxiety, torn between his newly awakened feelings for his friend and his duty, both for Britannia and for the deceased Euphemia.

"Yes...Suzaku," he turned to face his friend, "I ask you to take care of Nunnally...Promise me you'll save her, Suzaku. I beg you.  
"The once proud Lelouch was already dead. All that was left of him were the attachments he still held for this world.

Suzaku's face lit up, "Leave it to me. I will certainly rescue her. You have my word as a knight of Britannia. Ah-!"  
An apolotegic smile, "No...as an old friend." A meek smile rose to Lelouch's face. "Thank you...Suzaku."

Karen was starting to piece the meaning behind Lelouch's words together, and a frightened expression manifested itself on her face.  
"Wait-! You...you can save her yourself, Lelouch! I-I'll help you! We'll do it together!"

Lelouch slowly turned to face the red haired girl he had learned to trust - as a subordinate, of course.  
"Karen...The Order of the Black Knights...I leave to you. Do with it what you will."

The girl's blue eyes widened, and she furiously started shaking her head, grabbing into Lelouch's hand as if to keep him in the world of the living by force.

With an amused look characteristic to him, he gazed at the two beside him like they were making a huge fuss out of nothing.  
"Everything's settled then." A small pause, "Now that I think about it, I wonder when everything started going astray."

" Was it when I met C.C.? When mother was assassinated? From even before then?" The eyelids slowly started closing, while his voice kept growing ever stronger instead.

"You know, Suzaku...When I used the Geass on you to command you to live back in Shikinejima, I never thought it would end in **my** death." Suzaku's eyes widened, but Lelouch paid it no heed and continued on, "And that incident with Euphie...Truly tragic, that one. I had already agreed to co-operate with her, but then...my Geass, it went out of control. Hmph...I guess it doesn't matter anymore, though. What's done is done."

Suzaku had started shaking hysterically, going through everything he'd just been told over and over in his mind, fastforwarded.  
And when the realization struck him, his face distorted with countless mixed feelings both from now and from way back,  
and he very nearly collapsed on the floor next to Lelouch from the shock.

"Y-you mean... You mean it could've worked?! That nobody might not have had to die?!!"  
His voice was desperate, as if he was clinging onto a single thread of hope with all his might.

"Yeah...If not...if not for this cursed Geass." Suzaku's mind snapped and he started giggling hysterically, while Karen could only listen in silence, trying to figure out what they were talking about. What this 'Geass' was, and how it had had such a huge impact on what had happened.

Finally, Lelouch's eyelids closed, and a bitter smile formed on his lips. With the last of his breath, he quietly whispered into the damp cavern, "I just wish I could've seen her...one more time. To say that I'm...sorry." With that, the last of his life fled him, and the body lying between the giggling Suzaku and the hysterically crying Karen grew limp.

Moments passed, and after the giggling and crying sounds had died out, there was silence.  
It went on for what seemed like forever, the two figures just kneeling there beside Lelouch's corpse.

Abruptly, Suzaku opened his mouth, "He...always put Nunnally before himself. Even after he became Zero. It was..."  
A sniff, "...the only path he could find." Karen, whose were eyes frighteningly empty, turned her head slightly towards the other.

Still facing downwards, Suzaku continued, "I don't think you knew, but...Lelouch...He was once a prince of Britannia."  
A small flicker appeared at Karen's eyes after hearing about the past of the now dead Lelouch.

"Back then, he was still living in Britannia with Nunnally and their mother. But around eight years ago...his mother was assassinated. During the incident, Nunnally was also critically injured, losing her eyesight and ability to walk. After that, the two were sent here to Japan as political hostages, which is how I met them."

"Then..." Karen started, having finally regained her voice, "That's why he hated the Britannia so much?"  
Now that she thought about it, it did make sense. She had never questioned Zero's hatred for the Britannia, but neither had she ever wondered where that hatred came from. At the time, it hadn't been important to her.

"Yeah...I guess Britannia's invasion to here was the last straw. At that time, seven years ago, he told me he'd find a way to destroy the Britannia for what it had done. I...never thought he'd really try it. It's...it's my fault! I-I-!"

A small hand firmly gripped Suzaku's shoulder, and a voice that had regained it's confidence told him, "Stop taking it all on yourself! He's..." the voice wavered a little, but quickly regained it's composure, "He's already dead!"

Suzaku's eyes bulged, but Karen didn't stop, "We can grieve all we want later, but right now, there is something we have to do! Something only we can do!"

Suzaku flinched at Karen's tone, but then he also realized it. "Nunnally!"  
Karen nodded at him, turning towards the gate which hid behind it both Nunnally and the one who'd taken her.

She didn't know what lay in wait behind that gate, but whatever it be, she would let nothing stand in her way.  
It was the least she could do for the dead Lelouch's soul.

And for her own.

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If you were wondering about the liquid sakuradite part, Lelouch bluffed it. (In this fanfic at least)  
I actually planned to write it in there somewhere, but then forgot. And didn't feel like adding it afterwards.

The next, and most likely final, chapter will be done...when? No idea. I'll write it eventually, but it might take a while.  
Of course, **reviews** might _cough_ speed up _cough_ the progress


	2. Chapter 2

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**_Destiny of the Geass - Chapter 2_**  
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Having passed through the mysterious gate found within the cavern on the island of Kaminejima  
Karen and Suzaku found themselves on a dark, narrow path. Without a single source of light,  
the two could only keep going on, relying on their other senses in the darkness.

Even though Karen had never been afraid of the dark, the cold blackness surrounding them was making her feel uneasy.  
It had a feeling of finality to it.

Suzaku, on the other hand, was not bothered by the darkness. Or rather, he did not let it bother him.  
At the moment, his mind was wholly dedicated to one, and only one, thing. Saving Nunnally.

Before long, the path before them widened into a small clearing, with a massive gate similar to the one they had passed through earlier. Bracing themselves, the two pushed the gate open, mentally preparing themselves for what was to come.

What greeted them behind the huge gate, however, was something totally different from anything they could've ever imagined.

It was as if they had entered a world different from ours. Long stone stairs rose high up into the sky,  
where clouds slowly chased each other in the light of a setting sun. At the top of the stairs was a small platform where stood two pillars, almost like a gateway to heaven.

Between the two pillars, two small figures could be seen. Without a second thought, Suzaku sprinted up the stairs,  
quickly followed by Karen. Arriving at the top, he permitted himself a second of rest before turning to face the two figures.

Sitting on the second uppermost step of the stairs was a boy with long, golden hair and eyes red like flowing wine.  
It was, he realized, the very same boy who had told him about the Geass.

Behind the golden haired boy, unmoving in her wheelchair, was Nunnally.  
Seeing her still body was enough to make Suzaku's heart strangle in fear. Had he been too late?  
If so, how could he ever forgive himself?

However, just as he was about to call out to Nunnally, the boy got up, turning to the girl in wheelchair softly whispering,  
"Nunnally-chan, our guests have arrived."

With a little mumble, the frail body straightened and asked in a sleepy voice, "Mm...Eh? Is brother here?"  
Her melodic voice was filled with expectation. So much so, that it made Suzaku gasp involuntarily.

"Suza...ku?" Her voice became even cheerier as she happily asked, "Did you come with brother?"

By now, Karen had also reached the end of the stairs, panting hard and staring at Suzaku's back incredulously.

Again, before Suzaku could open his mouth, V.V. Answered in his stead, "No, Nunnally-chan,  
it would appear that your brother is not with them."

This caused Nunnally's shoulders to slump slightly, which caused Suzaku an unimaginable amount of pain.

While still trying to catch her breath, Karen somehow managed to question V.V. while almost achieving the threatinging tone she was aiming for, "You...Who are you, and for what reason did you kidnap Nunnally for?!"

Nunnally seemed puzzled by Karen's words, as well as suprised by the fact she was here too. V.V. seemed rather amused,  
though, as he opened his arms, "Kidnapped? I'm sorry, but it seems there has been some kind of a misunderstanding.  
Nunnally-chan came here of her own accord to meet her brother. Isn't that so, Nunnally-chan?"

Nunnally nodded, and V.V. smile grew a fraction. "As for the other question, I apologize for the late introduction.  
I am V.V. and this," he gestured at the surroundings, "...is my sanctuary. Pleased to meet you, Karen Stadtfeld.  
Or...would you prefer to be called Karen Kohzuki?"

Karen froze at V.V.'s words, her hand reflexively going for the gun she'd dropped at the cave's entrance earlier.  
"How...how do you know my name?!?" The red haired girl hissed at the golden haired boy.

"Oh, I know many things, but that is inconsequential right now." Ignoring Karen, whose eyes were glaring daggers at his direction,  
V.V. turned back to Suzaku, "But pray tell, where is Zero? I am quite sure I had made an appointment with him, yet he is nowhere to be seen."

Suzaku's eyes turned colder as he answered, "Zero won't be coming. He's dead."

The boy cocked his eyebrows, clearly not having expected such a thing. "Dead, you say? Are you certain?"  
There was a hint of disbelief in his otherwise apathetic voice.

"Yeah." A short, cold reply. Suzaku didn't know what it was, but there was something about this boy that greatly irritated him.  
Even more than he wanted to admit.

"I see..." A small hand curled into a fist, but other than that, his true feelings remained hidden.  
"That is a pity. I was really looking forward to meeting him in person, you know. I had even prepared a little...entertainment."  
V.V. briefly glanced at Nunnally over his shoulder, which made Suzaku realize something.

If V.V. had brought Nunnally here to lure Zero out...it could only mean he had also known the true identity of Zero.  
That, and he had also known about Karen. There was definitely more to this guy than met the eye.

Giving a small sigh, V.V. shrugged his shoulders, "But if he is, as you say, dead, then I no longer have a reason to remain here. I have no business with you two." Turning his back on Suzaku and Karen, V.V. walked over to the left pillar standing on the platform on top of the stairs, pushing a hidden button on it.

There was a loud roaring sound as the tile V.V. was standing on started to slowly sink downwards.  
In a worried voice, Nunnally called out to him, "V.V.?"

With a nonchalant voice, V.V. apologized, "I'm sorry, Nunnally-chan, but it would appear your brother's not coming.  
Why don't you ask your two friends over there? Perhaps they would know of your brother?"

Both Karen and Suzaku had been too stunned by V.V.'s way of escape to act and by the time they regained their wits,  
he had already disappeared into the strange mist below the platform.

"He's...gone!" Karen dashed to the platform's edge, but there was no way for her to follow the mysterious boy.  
Seething with rage, she clenched her fists, "Damn!"

Nunnally, who only knew Karen Stadtfeld, was more than suprised at the sudden change in Karen's behaviour. "Karen...?"

Gasping, Karen turned around, finally remembering she was not alone.

"N-Nunnally? Uh, um, I-I, I don't know what came over me. I just..." The voice soon faded into silence, which was,  
to Karen's fortune, soon broken by Suzaku.

"Nunnally?!" He rushed to the girl's side, worriedly asking, "Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"  
For a moment, Nunnally seemed puzzled, but then a bright smile rose to her lips.

"What are you talking about, Suzaku? I told you, V.V. didn't kidnap me. I came here to see my brother."

"But-!" There was a part in Suzaku that refused to believe the whole rescue operation could've gone so easily.

"Funny Suzaku. I'm fine, really. But...V.V. said that brother would come here for sure. Yet..."  
There were traces of disappoinment, even sadness, in her voice.

Suzaku didn't know what to say. He knew that Nunnally would eventually find out about her brother's death, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Because he knew how close those two had been, he knew that the news of Lelouch's death would break Nunnally. Possibly beyond mending.

The one to break the heavy atmosphere was no other than Karen. Without doing anything to prepare the poor Nunnally for the crushing news, she bluntly blurted out, "Lelouch...is dead."

"Eh-?" The shocked gasp that escaped the frail girl's lips was soon followed by Suzaku's horrified scream,  
"KAREN!!" as his mind came to a full stop caused by the other's lack of sensitivity.

"Dead? Brother...is?!" The question was asked in a weak voice, while the strength seemingly escaped the small, fragile body.  
Her face drained of it's colour and she gasped for breath as if she was having trouble breathing, most likely caused by the shock.

Suzaku, grasping Nunnally's left hand between his own hands, shot a reproaching glare at Karen,  
who merely shrugged as if to say that she would've found out anyway, one way or another.

Nunnally's right hand tighly clasped her chest as she struggled with her breathing, her body trembling uncontrollably.  
At her side, Suzaku could do nothing but hold her other hand, whispering soft words of encouragement to the suffering girl's ear.

After a while, the trembling subsided, and her breathing returned to normal. All that remained was a dark, lingering silence.  
Thinking the worst was over, Suzaku quietly called out to the girl, "Nunnally?"

However, there was no answer. Looking at the girl on the wheelchair, Suzaku noticed that her lips were slightly ajar.  
No, not ajar, moving. Slowly, repeating a single word over and over again. A single name.

Then, without a warning, the girl broke into tears, bending over on the wheelchair, sobbing heartbreakingly.  
Suzaku was taken aback by the suddenness of it, and let out a small yelp. He knew he had to do something and quick,  
just that he had no idea what.

Had it been Lelouch, Suzaku thought, he could've come up with a dozen ideas in seconds.  
Of course, if Lelouch had been there, there wouldn't have been a problem to begin with.

Seeing the sobbing, bent over girl made even Karen feel awful. She had thought that telling her straight up would be for the best,  
but she was already beginning to doubt if it had really been such a bright idea.

For several minutes, Nunnally's sobbing was the only sound breaking the otherwise serene silence of the place.  
When she finally straightened up again, her cheeks were soaked from all the crying.  
Still shaking slightly, she parted her lips as if to say something.

After a few minutes of waiting patiently, Suzaku lightly squeezed the girl's hand to encourage her to say whatever she was going to say. As if by suprised by this, the girl winced. Wetting her lips a bit, she then finally gave voice to her mind,  
"H...o...w...How...did my...brother die?"

It was as if Suzaku's heart had been stabbed. With a startled cry, he stumbled a few steps back, away from the wheelchair.  
Suprised by his reaction, Nunnally turned her head towars him, "Su...zaku?"

Panicking, Suzaku desperately sought for something to say, but his mind was blank.

"L-Lelouch, he...I-I, I didn't...He, it, it wasn't-!"

Seeing Suzaku panicking, Karen stepped up to cover for him. With a calm voice she exlaimed,  
"He was killed by Zero in the middle of the fighting."

Both Suzaku and Nunnally turned to the red haired girl, astonished.  
Especially Suzaku was more than just suprised by Karen's words.

"Killed...by Zero?" Nunnally inquired in a broken voice. Karen walked a little closer to the wheelchair and answered,  
"Yes. He stood up to Zero, and was killed for it."

Suzaku's eyes widened at the lie Karen was feeding to Nunnally. He did, however, do nothing to correct her.

A silence. Nunnally's both hands were reaching to her chest, grasping through the clothes and her face was distorted with mixed feelings.

"Brother...He was always there...beside me. Always...taking care of me. Even at the expense of his own life."  
A weak sniff shook her small body before she continued, "I...I knew it was unfair to him. Having to take care of me all the time. And then, when C.C. came, I-I was...jealous of her. Even as I felt happy for my brother for having found someone, I couldn't...I couldn't help feeling...abandoned."

Suzaku was listening to the girl's confession with tears in his eyes. With regret. He had killed his best friend, yet who was the one who had to suffer the most because of it?

"He never put himself before others, so why?! Why did he have to die?!" Nunnally's voice was nearing hysterical levels, her screams increasing in volume, "Why did my brother have to die?! Why?! He never would've hurt a fly, and yet...Yet-!"

As her scream reached it's peak, accompanied by a strong anger uncharacteristic of her, a miracle occured.  
The eyes that had remained unseeing for the past eight years opened, a new, blinding light burning bright in those ocean-blue eyes.

Even through the tears and shock, Suzaku noticed the miraculous change and his jaw dropped at suprise.  
Pointing at the girl, he incredulously asked, "N-Nunnally? Y-your...Your eyes!?"

Nunnally blinked, momentarily forgetting the traumatic death of his brother, and looked at Suzaku.  
She swiped her eyes, blinking again. Then, a suprised expression rose to her face.

"I...I can...see?!" She looked around, still dumbstruck. Seeing the world again after so long...It felt incredible.  
A warm, swelling feeling filled her chest as her eyes wandered around.

It seemed like the work of god to Suzaku, seeing Nunnally's smiling face, something he had feared he might never see again.  
Karen was also suprised by what had happened, but compared to before, it was more than an improvement.  
As long as it helped keep the little girl's mind off the death of his brother, everything worked just fine.

Of course, reality was not as simple as that. After the initial fascination had faded, the pain came back - tenfold.  
Tears started flooding from the newly awakened eyes, and the desperate sobs returned.

"When...When I could finally see again! When I could've...sniff...finally **seen** brother again, after all these years! When I-!"  
She buried her face on her hands, looking as if she might really break down on the spot.

Panicking, yet again, Suzaku picked Nunnally's hands in his own and tried to think of something to calm her down with.  
Karen, on the other hand, had a complex expression on her face. She did feel sorry for the girl in the wheelchair, but she also realized this was not the place, nor time for a mental breakdown.

"Hey...Suzaku, I don't think we should stay here much longer."

Instead of answering, Suzaku gave her a fierce glare full of animosity.

"Tch..."

Then, she realized something very important. Lelouch...His body was still in the cave!! And for some reason, his blind little sister was no longer blind.

"Uh, Suzaku...I'll leave her to you. I'll go make the preparations to leave."

Without even confirming if the boy had heard her, she rushed down the stairs and into the tunnel below.

For a while, all that was left was the sobbing sounds Nunnally was making. He couldn't think of anything that could make things better, so he just kept holding the girl's frail hands in his own, praying to whatever gods would listen to him that Nunnally would make it through it.

Within the awkward silence, Suzaku soon lost his sense of time. He couldn't tell wheter it had been only a few minutes, or maybe hours. It didn't matter, though. He would stay with Nunnally as long as it took. That's what he had decided.

"Su...za...ku."

"..."

"Su...zaku."

"..."

"Suzaku!"

"Huh-?!"

He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that the sobbing had settled down.

"N-Nunnally?"

Looking up, he saw a forced smile on the girl's lips.

"I'm...alright, now. Shall we...go? Karen-san must be waiting."

Suzaku let out a small sigh of relief, as well as as a thank you to the gods, and rose up.

"Y-yes."

The descent from the platform was, indeed, quite troublesome with the wheelchair.

In the end, Suzaku had to carry the whole wheelchair down first, then go back up and carry Nunnally down.  
All the while worrying about how long they'd made Karen wait.

Even though Nunnally had said she was fine, Suzaku knew she was just putting up a brave front.  
As such, the pass through the dark tunnel was much harder for him than the first time around.

And only as they entered the first chamber, where the final showdown between him and Lelouch had taken place, did Suzaku remember that Nunnally was no longer blind. And that they had just left Lelouch's corpse lying there.

Cursing himself for his carelessness he was almost ready to panic, but then a familiar voice greeted the two of them.

"Sure took you long enough."  
Surveying the whole chamber in the blink ofan eye, he realized that Lelouch's corpse was not there.  
_Karen...So that's why she left on her own._

"Uh...yeah."

"I'm sorry, Karen-san."

"No, no, it's alright. Let's just get off this island already, okay?"

With that, the three of them left the cavern for the Knightmares. Before taking off, though, Karen pulled Suzaku further away from Nunnally for a private chat.

"Suzaku, there's something-"

Before she could finish, though, Suzaku cut in.

"Phew...that was too close, Karen. Thank goodness you'd hidden Lelouch...  
For a moment there, I thought...well, in any case, thank you for doing it."

For some reason, Karen's face darkened at this.

"Actually..." she started, "When I arrived...it was already gone."

Suzaku's eyebrows shot up.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?!?"

"Just that...gone. Apparently, someone else was here while we were away..."

Suzaku thought about it. Yes, corpses don't walk away on their own, so someone had to have been there.  
The question was, who had it been.

"In any case," Karen continued, "there's no point in worrying about it now."

Suzaku nodded. Whoever it had been, they now had Lelouch's corpse in their possession.  
What they would do with it, only time would tell. If they were going to anything at all, that is, he thought.

"Moreover, what are you going to do from now?"

Suzaku was taken aback by the sudden question. From now on? What...would he do?  
Then, the answer came to him.

"I...will quit the army."

Karen didn't seem too suprised by this. She merely nodded, "And then?"

"I will keep looking after Nunnally in Lelouch's stead. It's the least I can do."

"I see...I'm sure he'd be happy to hear that."

Suzaku could see the moistness that was beginning to form in the corners of the girl's eyes, so he quickly changed the subject.

"And you? What are you going to do?"

With determined look, Karen answered,  
"I shall see through what he started. That is the only path left for me."

Suzaku nodded. As much as he disliked the idea of Karen taking over the Black Knights, he had known, in his heart,  
that it would end this way.

And with that, the two parted ways to follow their own paths.

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**Author's Notes:**  
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Okay, uh, it seems like there's been a lot of crying scenes, which isn't really that suprising considering what's been happening...  
I just hope it hasn't gotten too repetitive or anything...  
Well that, and the if you think the end seemed a bit rushed, it was. Sorry...

Anyway, this was originally supposed to be the end, but...Actually, I've got some plans for continuation.  
So, um, from here on out, I'll be going to the unknown territory of what will happen now that Lelouch's gone.  
Might take a while before Chapter 3, though. I really ought to finish 'Crimson Love' (a MGLNS fanfic), so...

Oh and thank you for all the people who reviewed the first chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Destiny of the Geass

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

* * *

Karen sighed and put the report back atop the pile of paper on the small wooden table of her apartment room.  
A week had passed since that fateful day, and the Order of the Black Knights was still trying its best at rebuilding itself.

They had lost over 60 of their members, and the remaining ones had scattered all over Japan in an  
attempt to avoid capture. Nearly all of their Knightmares had either been destroyed or been lost to the enemy.

Of course, the Britannian forces had also suffered heavy casualties, and thus had not been able to launch any  
kind of a retaliation. Instead, both sides had put all their strength and effort into stabilizing their own standings.

As a result, the past week had been unnaturally peaceful with both sides still recovering from the last battle.

Rising up, Karen did a few stretches – she had been working for quite a while and her body was all stiff – before making  
her way to the shower. True, her current apartment was nowhere as luxurious as the house she had been living in before,  
but for some reason, it felt suprisingly homey.

Turning the water temperature warmer, she let her mind turn blank, fully enjoying the feeling of warm water running  
down her skin. She had been so busy the last week that she hadn't even had the chance to properly enjoy a shower,  
much less a real bath.

After turning off the shower, Karen lightly wiped her body with a towel and returned to the living room where  
she had been working earlier. Looking at the pile of papers on the table in the centre of the room reminded her  
of the hell that the last week had been. It also made her remember something else.

Walking to her bed in the corner of the room, she kneeled down and looked below the bed. There, hidden away from  
curious eyes, lay a suitcase. Just as always, Karen just couldn't help herself, and had to pull the case from under the bed.

Opening it swiftly, Karen paused to look at the contents. A black, decorated helm atop a set of black clothes.  
The costume that was widely recognised as belonging to the leader of the Order of the Black Knights – Zero.

Looking at the clothes and the helm, Karen had a fleeting moment of hesitation. Had she done the right thing?  
Would it have been for the best to just have let Zero's legend die that day, along with Lelouch?

The hesitation did not last long, and was soon replaced by resolve. She had already chosen her path – ever since  
the day she'd met him, in fact – there were no longer any other options left for her.

Thinking back, Karen realized she really had been lucky to discover Lelouch's hidden safe where he had been  
keeping another set of Zero's clothes. It could almost have been called a miracle – or, as she preferred, fate.

After that, she had taken it upon herself to continue the legend of Zero. Of course, there was no way she could've fooled everyone – even she knew that. But even now, only the innermost circle of the Order of the Black Knights knew the truth about the current Zero. And even they didn't know the whole truth.

Knowing that the Order was at the brink of collapsing, Karen had needed a way to secure a position at the top.  
She didn't intend to become a puppet leader, and neither did she have any desire to give the position of Zero's  
successor to anyone else. To achieve that, she had come up with a convenient lie.

She had told the ones that needed to know that Zero had been critically injured in the battle and was now  
recuperating at a secret hideout.

She had also added that Zero himself had appointed her the leader while he was out of the picture.  
As to the location of Zero's hideout, Karen had told them that he had ordered her not to tell a soul about it – for safety reasons.

After that, everything had went more or less smoothly. There had been some resistance, but the majority had  
believed her and stood by her. Of course, they all thought that it was nothing but a temporary measure.

By the time they found out – if they ever did – she would already have the reins of power within her grasp.  
And who knows, maybe the was would be over by then, in which case it would no longer matter.

Letting out a small sigh at the troubles yet ahead of her, Karen closed the suitcase and

put it back under her bed. She shouldn't need it for another few days, were things to go well.

Suddenly feeling tired, Karen gave the papers on the table an irritated look.  
She had been going through them for who knows how many hours, yet the pile didn't seem to get any smaller.  
'How on earth did Lelouch deal with all this', she wondered while lying down on the bed.

Most of the reports had just been informational, mostly about insignificant things, but there had been few  
that had caught her attention. Like the one about the spreading negativity towards the Order on the internet.

According to the report, the public opinion had been swaying away from the Order in the past week, which was bad news. Moreover, it seemed as if there was a certain group of people involved in the affair. They called themselves the 'Rosa Alba', and had apparently been quite busy dirtying the Order of the Black Knights' reputation over the net the past week.

It had been just one thing after another ever since Lelouch's death. The thought made Karen heave another sigh.  
She had been sighing a lot lately. Ever since then...

Karen shook her head, and a couple of red strands fell over her eyes. No matter what she did, no matter what she thought,  
it all led back to that day. Back to Lelouch's death. Closing her eyes, as if to block away reality itself, she tried to empty her mind.

But there it was, staring at her from the back of her mind. Those purple eyes that seemed able to see right through to her soul.

It had been there for the past week, lurking inside the darkest corners of her mind, just waiting for a chance to pop up. But this time something was different. The usual sneer was gone, and his eyes seemed almost...sad. Then, without as much as a warning, it slowly starting disappearing.

Even though she had been wishing for his face to stop haunting her, Karen suddenly felt a surge of panic inside her chest. She tried to reach for the image inside her mind, tried to maintain it, but soon enough, it was gone, and she was left in the quiet darkness of her room.

Instead of relief or satisfaction, all she felt was loss – almost as if a part of her very self had permanently been ripped off.  
She could feel tears streaming down her cheeks and hear her own sobs, but somehow it all felt unreal, as if she was watching a movie starring herself.

Eventually, the sobs died down, the tears dried up, and the blissful oblivion of sleep drew her into its serene embrace.

The next morning, Karen woke up to the warmth of the sun shining through the curtains of her apartment room.  
Opening the curtains to greet the new day, Karen felt...revitalized. All the ordeals of the past week seemed like a distant,  
bad dream.

A new day had begun, and she had a feeling that something good just might be coming her way.

* * *

**A/N**

* * *

Ahh, I had this chapter lying around half-written for quite some time...  
Well, at least I finally got it written...even though I had actually planned it a bit longer.  
Anyway, you could probably think of this chapter as a kind of an opening to what's to come. A prologue of sorts.  
After all, I'll be beginning the new stories of Lelouch and the company. (Even though Lulu's not actually there, but...)

The next chapter...will be about one of the new main characters. Karen's obviously going to be in a central role, but who  
else will get to play the 'hero'? As of now, I only have a vague idea of where I'll be taking the story, but taking into consideration my working speed, it might not actually be the biggest problem I'll be facing...

Also, I'm going to have a new Geass user make an appearance (well, new to Geass, that is), but I really have no  
idea what kinda of a Geass she might have...So I'm open to suggestions. In fact, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and to those who were wondering, Rosa Alba means 'white rose(s?)'.


End file.
